Ministry of Sound - Clubbers Guide To...Berlin

Ministry of Sound - Clubbers Guide To...Berlin
When looking for pure underground cutting edge sounds, I tend not to look for Ministry of Sound albums when CD shopping, however, one thing I can appreciate from the MOS albums is that it is opening our wonderful electronic scene to many newcomers by giving many people their first taste to dance music so to speak. What excited me about this Clubbers Guide to…Berlin album is that it features tracks that may not be obvious and overplayed as some of their other compilations.

As the name suggests the album tries to showcase the sound of Berlin, and by MOS interpretations this is a tech electro kind of sound. I’m not too sure of the opening track, the Tiga remix of Martini Bros, as it is a quite intense way to begin a mix album that is for sure. Sono’s remix of ‘Paradies’ by Rosenstolz is a lot better thanks to its smooth drums and warm pads. Tiefschwarz’s very popular remix of Phonique gets a run early on as the album continues to flow solidly early on, a theme continued by the retro vibes of ‘Popstar’ by Royal Flash. Mayer’s awesome remix of Superpitcher’s ‘Happiness’ also makes a strong mark on the album as does Sascha Funke’s remix of Alexander Kowalski’s ‘Lock Me Up’. ‘She Loves It’ by Eyerer & Chopstick perhaps features the worst vocal ever put to a track, that being a Streets style vocal put over a techy cut, a combination that just doesn’t work. DJ T tries to rescue the horrific scene of the previous track by putting in a good effort with ‘Time Out’. The Alter Ego Remix of ‘Spiel Mit’ is gritty and full of driving baselines in true Ego style, while the Elektropunk Remix of Mia’s ‘Factory City’ again drives the mix late on. ‘Save My Soul’ is actually quite nice, and is a good highlight and sold way to finish the album.

Well what can be said? Ministry are trying to jump on the techy electro wagon that has been in fifth gear for almost 2 years now, and to be honest they don’t really do it that amazingly. The mixing is pretty standard, and the actual flow is pretty average to be honest, with almost little to no thought of placement of tracks, except towards the latter parts where it actually finishes off quite nicely. Compared to MANDY’s new mix, well it doesn’t really compare, but compared to other efforts by Ministry it actually stands quite high, especially with the nice packaging and solid booklet included. There are some good tracks and there are some pretty ordinary ones, but for those unfamiliar with this sound, it may be a good place to start.